Riley Prize – $500

To be awarded for a doctoral dissertation on a topic in Mississippi history or biography completed during 2012 or 2013.

The prize, awarded biennially if a dissertation is selected as worthy, memorializes Franklin L. Riley, a professor of history at the University of Mississippi who was instrumental in establishing the Mississippi Department of Archives and History.

Dissertations will be judged on originality of concept, design, and methodology; compilation and effective use of evidence; clarity and precision of style; and significance of the dissertation’s contribution toward an understanding of Mississippi history.

The winner will be selected by the Mississippi Historical Society Riley Prize Committee.

Four copies should be submitted by December 1, 2015, to the following address: Mississippi Historical Society, Franklin L. Riley Prize, P. O. Box 571, Jackson, MS 39205-0571. The physical address is the William F. Winter Archives and History Building, 200 North Street, Jackson, MS 39201.

Prize winners will be notified shortly before the March 2016 annual meeting of the Mississippi Historical Society.